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American Youth Football president Joe Galat, right, and Mickey Mitchell, Refuge landowner, discuss plans for a 200-acre tract of land at the intersection of Mack Hatcher Parkway and Cool Springs Boulevard in Franklin. / Karen Kraft / The Tennessean

The Refuge landowner Mickey Mitchell, pictured, met with American Youth Football president Joe Galat to discuss plans for a 200-acre tract of land at the intersection of Mack Hatcher Parkway and Cool Springs Boulevard on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014, in Franklin. / Karen Kraft / The Tennessean

Developers of The Refuge, 345 Franklin Road at Cool Springs, discussed their plans for a 200-acre tract of land, pictured, at the intersection of Mack Hatcher Parkway and Cool Springs Boulevard on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014 in Franklin. / Karen Kraft / The Tennessean

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FRANKLIN — Though he has fielded numerous offers to sell over the years, Charles “Mickey” Mitchell now wants to hold on to his 200 acres considered to be a gateway into Franklin.

His tract stretches from the intersection of Cool Springs Boulevard and Mack Hatcher Parkway — where an unfinished leg of the intersection leads to the site — and along a portion of Franklin Road. It’s one of the busiest intersections in Franklin, where more than 46,000 cars pass through daily.

The land, which adjoins the Roper’s Knob hill, has drawn interest from apartment developers, residential developers and others who have offered him “life changing” money. Mitchell has had the property on the market for years, opting to try to sell it himself in 2012.

Now, Mitchell is exploring creating the Refuge at Cool Springs development that he says could include a four-star hotel, dining, shopping, an athletic training facility, football fields and walking trails to Roper’s Knob.

“This is a plan that will be over the top great for the city of Franklin,” said Mitchell, who has a passion for youth sports. “Everybody in the community will love that they were here before this came because their property values will go over the roof. It will be awesome for the kids in the community.”

This weekend, Mitchell and more than 100 regional leaders of American Youth Football will hold their annual leadership meeting in Franklin and tour the site and discuss plans. AYF was founded in 1996 and has more than 830,000 youth participants in its leagues. Joe Galat, AYF president, wants to build a youth training facility on the site, if plans progress.

Yet Mitchell’s idea still needs fleshing out and, ultimately, approval from Franklin officials. The property is currently zoned estate-residential, which allows one detached single-family unit per 2 acres.

Years ago, Franklin initially balked at allowing Mitchell to add the start of the fourth leg of the intersection, but aldermen — expressing concerns over a potential lawsuit — eventually gave approval.

There’s already early opposition to Mitchell’s idea. Alderman Margaret Martin, who represents Ward 4, where the land is located, said she was prepared to go to jail years ago to oppose adding the extension of the intersection. She’s opposing Mitchell’s new idea.

“I think it’s the first step to a slippery slope to developing all of Franklin Road all the way to the Factory,” Martin said. “I would be totally opposed to it.”

Yet mixed-used developments have a good track record of success in the Cool Springs area, said Austin Benedict, a retail broker at Colliers International who represents tenants and landlords in that market.

“Shoppers and retailers alike continue to show that they like working where they live and living where they play,” he said. “If the proposed project can deliver all of that, they can anticipate being successful.”

The land’s historical relevance to the Civil War is also a factor in its future use. Roper’s Knob hill, which is owned by the city and the state of Tennessee, served as a Union Army signal post during the Civil War.

Mary Pearce, executive director of the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County, said she has met with Mitchell but wants to learn more.

“This project should be looked at with consideration with what the visual and traffic impact would have on the community,” Pearce said. “Is this the best location?”

What happens next with the project remains unclear. Developers don’t have a timeline about when they might file paperwork with the city about the project moving forward. Assistant City Administrator Vernon Gerth said no paperwork for the project has been filed.

Mitchell said he’s not sure what will happen. He said, “If this thing falls through, I’ll sell it to someone who can do what this property is zoned for.

Reporter Getahn Ward contributed to this report. Reach Kevin Walters at 615-771-5472 and on Twitter @thekevinwalters.